Two-year-old conjoined twin sisters tragically died during a highly complex separation operation after serious complications developed in the operating room, according to a report.
Heloísa and Helena Batista da Silva passed away within minutes of one another on August 15 at Hospital das Clínicas in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, the Sun reported.
The young girls were born joined at the head and, according to the outlet, shared brain tissue as well as blood vessels, making their case exceptionally delicate.
From the time they were born, the sisters had undergone four demanding operations. On the day they died, doctors were attempting their fifth procedure — intended to be the final stage of their separation.
More than 50 doctors, nurses and support professionals took part in the intricate surgery, but shortly after the twins were separated, both girls’ conditions deteriorated rapidly.
Medical staff said the toddlers experienced sudden haemodynamic instability, a dangerous breakdown in circulation that can deprive major organs of adequate blood flow and may lead to organ failure or death, according to the report.
During the procedure, one sister reportedly developed dangerously high blood pressure, while the other suffered from abnormally low blood pressure.
Helena went into cardiac arrest at 11.12pm, followed by Heloísa at 11.26pm.
Heloísa and Helena Batista da Silva died just minutes apart from each other on August 15 at the Hospital das Clínicas, in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Serious complications arose during their fifth surgery, which was supposed to be the final procedure for them
Doctors immediately tried to resuscitate them for 25 minutes, but they tragically died. Helena passed away at 11.37pm and Heloísa at 11.51pm.
Jayme Farina Júnior, a plastic surgeon on the girls’ medical team, said the twins had fragile bodies and were sick most of their lives.
‘They had many bouts of pneumonia, they had a tracheostomy, they needed a gastrostomy for feeding, and they had episodes that also weakened their bodies,’ Júnior detailed.
‘But at the moment of the final separation, their bodies could not withstand this instability, and then they progressed to cardiac arrest,’ the medical professional added.
The first three surgeries the sisters endured saw doctors separate about 75 percent of their shared blood vessels and brain tissue.
During their fourth procedure, they were fitted with tissue expanders to help increase the amount of skin available for when doctors closed their skulls during the final operation.
The baby girls were buried the following day, on August 16, in São José dos Campos.
Their heartbroken father, Amarildo Batista da Silva, thanked the medical staff who worked tirelessly to help save his girls, and said he does not blame them for his daughters’ deaths.
Jayme Farina Júnior, a plastic surgeon on the girls’ medical team, said the twins had fragile bodies and were sick most of their lives
Over 50 medical and support staff were involved in the complicated operation
‘Every child you lose is a defeat, every child you manage to save is a victory. I am sure you have far more victories than defeats, so this does not become a defeat,’ he said of the staff.
Heloísa and Helena were the third set of craniopagus – joined at the head – twins to be treated at the hospital.
Brazil’s public healthcare system funded all of their treatments, according to the report.
